Video game using dual motion sensing controllers

• US 10,065,108 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Koizumi, Yoshiaki, Hayakawa, Takeshi, Aoyagi, Norihiro, Ishihara, Seiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Galka, Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US15/632,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20170291103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8088 involving concurrently several players in a non-networked game, e.g. on the same game console
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0382 Plural input, i.e. interface arrangements in which a plurality of input device of the same type are in communication with a PC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 : with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 : with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 : Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 : Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A motion of a first unit is detected based on an output from a first acceleration sensor provided in a first unit of a controller, and a motion of a second unit is detected based on an output from a second acceleration sensor provided in a second unit separate from the first unit. A game control is performed using the detected motions. Thus, with a game apparatus using a plurality of acceleration sensors or a plurality of sensors capable of detecting a motion a dynamic play is made possible with a high degree of freedom of motion and an intuitive motion input is realized.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor provided in a second housing, held by a second hand of the same user, separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion detection for detecting a first swing motion in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion detection for detecting a second swing motion in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control based on the detection of the first swing motion and the detection of the second swing motion, wherein

the game control executes the game control based on a difference between the timing of the detection of the first swing motion and the timing of the detection of the second swing motion.

2. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor provided in a second housing, held by a second hand of the same user, separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion detection for detecting a first swing motion in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion detection for detecting a second swing motion in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control based on the detection of the first swing motion and the detection of the second swing motion, wherein

the game program further causing the computer of the game apparatus to perform;

timing relationship determination of the relationship between the timing of the detection of the first swing motion and the timing of the detection of the second swing motion, wherein

the game control executes the game control when the timing relationship determination determines that the relationship fulfills a predetermined relationship.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor provided in a second housing, held by a second hand of the same user, separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion detection for detecting a first swing motion in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion detection for detecting a second swing motion in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control based on the detection of the first swing motion and the detection of the second swing motion, wherein

the game control executes a first game control based on the detection of the first swing motion when the first housing is moved, the game control executes a second game control different from the first game control based on the detection of the second swing motion when the second housing is moved, and the game control executes a third game control different from the first and second game control without executing the first and second game control based on the detection of the first swing motion and the second swing motion when both the first housing and the second housing are moved.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor, held by a second hand of a user, provided in a second housing separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion direction detection for detecting a first swing motion direction representing a direction in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion direction detection for detecting a second swing motion direction representing a direction in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control using the first swing motion direction and the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game control executes the game control when the first swing motion direction is a first predetermined direction and the second swing motion direction is a second predetermined direction.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor, held by a second hand of a user, provided in a second housing separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion direction detection for detecting a first swing motion direction representing a direction in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion direction detection for detecting a second swing motion direction representing a direction in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control using the first swing motion direction and the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game control executes the game control when the first swing motion direction falls within a first predetermined direction range and the second swing motion direction falls within a second predetermined direction range.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor, held by a second hand of a user, provided in a second housing separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion direction detection for detecting a first swing motion direction representing a direction in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion direction detection for detecting a second swing motion direction representing a direction in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control using the first swing motion direction and the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game control executes the game control based on a difference between the timing of the detection of the first swing motion direction and the timing of the detection of the second swing motion direction.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor, held by a second hand of a user, provided in a second housing separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion direction detection for detecting a first swing motion direction representing a direction in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion direction detection for detecting a second swing motion direction representing a direction in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control using the first swing motion direction and the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game program further causing the computer of the game apparatus to perform;

timing relationship determination of the relationship between the timing of the detection of the first swing motion direction and the timing of the detection of the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game control executes the game control when the timing relationship determination determines that the relationship fulfills a predetermined relationship.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program for executing game control using an output from a first sensor provided in a first housing, held by a first hand of a user, and capable of detecting a swing motion of the first housing in at least two axial directions and an output from a second sensor, held by a second hand of a user, provided in a second housing separate from the first housing and capable of detecting a swing motion of the second housing in at least two axial directions, the game program causing a computer of a game apparatus to perform:

first swing motion direction detection for detecting a first swing motion direction representing a direction in which the first housing was swung based on an output from the first sensor;

second swing motion direction detection for detecting a second swing motion direction representing a direction in which the second housing was swung based on an output from the second sensor; and

game control for executing game control using the first swing motion direction and the second swing motion direction, wherein

the game program further causing the computer of the game apparatus to perform;

synthesized swing direction determination for determining a synthesized swing direction by synthesizing the detected first swing motion direction and the detected second swing motion direction; and

game control for executing game control using the determined synthesized swing direction.